ClueBy
TodayArchiveWord list

Multiple-Meaning Words

A multiple-meaning word is spelled and said the same way but means different things: a bat flies at night, and you hit a ball with a bat. Context is the only clue, which is why these words are such good reading practice.

Here are 120 multiple-meaning words from past ClueBy puzzles, each with a real example sentence for every meaning. Use them as a reference, or make a printable worksheet below.

Make a worksheet

Students read each sentence and write the missing word. Every word appears in several sentences, each time with a different meaning.

Words on the sheet
468
Word bank
YesNo
↻ New worksheet

Multiple-Meaning Words

Name: ____________________Date: __________

Write the missing word from the word bank in each sentence. Each word is used more than once, with a different meaning each time.

Word bank: net · bear · bark · branch · cap · wind · object · band

  1. It's best to wear a ________________ on your head during the cold Moscow winters.
  2. The strong ________________ blew his hat off.
  3. The sergeant loved to ________________ orders at us.
  4. He's the lead singer in a rock ________________.
  5. Why would I ________________ to a disabled ramp?
  6. The little girl was crying for the teddy ________________.
  7. What was your ________________ profit last year?
  8. He put a rubber ________________ around the bundle of letters.
  9. Birch trees have smooth white ________________.
  10. The polar ice ________________ is melting.
  11. Many happy returns to all who ________________ the name of a flower!
  12. Our bank has a ________________ near the station.
  13. Thanks to his efforts, he attained his ________________.
  14. A black ________________ roamed the forest.
  15. He still wears his gold wedding ________________.
  16. Biology is a ________________ of science.
  17. He sold his goods at a loss to ________________ up his business.
  18. Can you put the ________________ back on the pen?
  19. He took the fish out of the ________________.
  20. A valuable ________________ decreases in value if it is damaged.
  21. It was raining hard, and to make things worse, the ________________ was beginning to rise.
  22. He chopped down the ________________ with an ax.
  23. Our dog starts to ________________ whenever the doorbell rings.
  24. The ball hit the back of the ________________.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com

Answer key

  1. cap — a hat
  2. wind — moving air
  3. bark — to shout
  4. band — a music group
  5. object — to protest
  6. bear — the animal
  7. net — after costs
  8. band — a rubber band
  9. bark — of a tree
  10. cap — of ice
  11. bear — to put up with
  12. branch — of a bank
  13. object — an aim
  14. bear — the animal
  15. band — a ring
  16. branch — a division
  17. wind — to turn a key
  18. cap — a lid
  19. net — for catching
  20. object — a thing
  21. wind — moving air
  22. branch — of a tree
  23. bark — a dog's sound
  24. net — in sport

Multiple-meaning words list

Tick up to 10 words to build a worksheet with just those words.

Make a worksheet (0 words)

Frequently asked questions

What are multiple-meaning words?

Words with the same spelling and pronunciation but more than one meaning, like bark (of a dog or of a tree) or bank (for money or of a river). You can only tell which meaning is meant from the rest of the sentence.

Are multiple-meaning words the same as homonyms?

Mostly, yes. Teachers often use "multiple-meaning words" and "homonyms" for the same idea. Homophones are different: they sound alike but are spelled differently, like flour and flower.

Are the worksheets free?

Yes. Make and print as many as you like for home or classroom use. Each sheet has its own link, so you can print the same one again.

Where do the words come from?

From past ClueBy puzzles, a daily game where you sort twelve sentences by their missing word. A new puzzle every day adds four more words to this list.

Sentences from ClueBy, Tatoeba (CC BY 2.0 FR) and Common Voice (CC0). clueby.com